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Lara Croft: Reflections

A while ago rumours started to spread about a project called "Lara Croft: Reflections", uninformed sources even speculated that it might be the title of the upcoming Tomb Raider (2013) Next Generation remake for PS4 and Xbox One (by now known as Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition) or its successor. That however was unlikely as all official Tomb Raider titles also carry the name Tomb Raider.

It has now been revealed that Lara Croft: Reflections - developed by Square Enix Japan (Smile Lab) and RenRen Games - is a (digital) turn-based card battle game for mobile devices which will be released in the first quarter of 2014. (It is already listed on iTunes New Zealand and Autralia.)

This game is placed outside the regular story or time line of the Tomb Raider universe.

News Recap Jan 2016

A lot has happened in the last two week. The most important of which was the announcement of the release date of the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Rise of the Tomb Raider:
The PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider will hit stores on 28 January 2016 (digital version) or 29 January (disc version, where available). Those who decide to get the physical edition can choose between the regular or the Collector's Edition (available from the Square Enix store.) Further, those who buy a GeForce GTX 970 or above graphics card, or 970M or above notebook will get Rise of the Tomb Raider as a bonus. Time to upgrade?

Rise of the Tomb Raider (Season Pass Content):
The Endurance Mode for Rise of the Tomb Raider has been published and season pass owners or those who are prepared to spend $9,99 can prove their survival skills in this mode that has you collecting artefacts while trying not to starve, freeze to death or get killed by a predator or Trinity.

Comics:
Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen #4 has hit stores on 6 January 2016.

Best of IGN:
Rise of the Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Go did very well in IGN's Best of 2015 list and won in the following categories.
For Rise of the Tomb Raider : Best Xbox One Game, Best Action-Adventure Game & People’s Choice - Best Xbox 360 Game
For Lara Croft Go: Best Mobile Game, Best Puzzle Game & People’s Choice - Best Mobile Game

Novels:
In other news, the release date for Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever has been pushed back again and is now 23. February 2016.

News Recap 2-2016

Another week of excitement has gone by. Let's have a look at what happened and what is going to happen.

GAME: Rise of the Tomb Raider - PC Version
Only 4 more days (28 January) till the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider on PC. The recommended specifications for playing the game on high resolution have been revealed (minimum requirements have been known for a while) and a couple of screenshots showcast how amazing the game is looking on PCs. I hope you are all going to play the game, you should, it is really great and there is lots to do and lots to see. But do yourself a favour, stray off the path to explore tombs and crypts and solve missions that are not part of the main story line, you would miss out otherwise.

GAME: RotTR - Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch
Season Pass owners only have to wait two more days (26 January) till the next DLC, Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, arrives. The third patch, preparing the game for this DLC by adding 22 achievements with 250 G, arrived a few days ago.

GAME: RotTR - 3rd Patch
Besides adding the achievement list for the Baba Yaga DLC, the third patch brought a couple of fixes, among them the bug which prevented players from finishing the mission "Misguided Intelligence"; the missing bird will now re-spawn and can be found sitting on the arch in front of the hut above the Logging Camp, or any other place detailed in tombraidergirl's walkthrough.

Weekly Recap (3-2016)

With another week behind us, it is time to look back.

GAME: Rise of the Tomb Raider - PC Version
Rise of the Tomb Raider has now been released for PC and is thus now playable by a much larger group than before. A little reminder: the German version of tombraidergirl's Walkthrough has been completed and I am currently working on the English version (and accompanying 3rd revision).
If you are stuck in Syria - Abandoned Mines, tombraidergirl's Walkthrough will help you.
If you are stuck in Geothermal Valley - The Acropolis, I refer you to my Raider colleague Stella's walkthrough.
If you are stuck in Flooded Archives - The End, I recommend tombraidergirl's Walkthrough (German) and google translate.

And at last: When you want to print the walkthrough, just press Ctrl+P (or click on the Icon in the footer), while viewing the page you want to print. (Do not worry, all unnecessary stuff will be hidden from the print version.)

GAME: RotTR - Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch
Further the Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch DLC has been released for Xbox and PC. The walkthrough for these missions is completed and contains all items. (It has however not been revised yet, so it may contain typos and minor errors.)

Comics
Nothing new to report in the world of comics. The fifth and final issue of "Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen" will come out in three days time and the second Tomb Raider series by Dark Horse will begin on the 17th of February 2016.

Novels
Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever was originally scheduled for the 15th of December 2015, but was then pushed back to the 27th of January and again to the 23rd of February. But now the novel has vanished from the Penguin Random House website. It can still be found on the DK website, where it is listed for 31 of March 2016.

Weekly Recap

You may have noticed that there was no weekly recap last week. There were two reasons for that, first not much had happened and second it was carnival. This week the recap is back.

Tomb Raider Games:
Owners of the Season Pass of Rise of the Tomb Raider are able to download the "Wilderness Survivor" pack (consisting of the "Nightshade" outfit that gives Lara the chance of looting an exotic animal resource from a common animal, the "Deathsong" Bloody Hatchet and a card pack) since 9 February 2016. It can also be purchased individually for $2,99.

It is further worth mentioning that "John Stafford" and his team of writers (among them Rhianna Pratchett, of course) have won the "Writers Guild Award" for Rise of the Tomb Raider on 13 February 2016.
Source: Writers Guild of America

Cutom Levels:
In the mood for some classic Tomb Raider gaming? On 11th February 2016 custom level builder Nick has released his 10-years-in-the-making Tomb Raider II series "Late Summer" where Lara revisits the Great Wall, the Offshore Rig and Venice.
Download level: trle.net

Comics:
By now the final issue of "Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen" has been released. The first issue of the second Tomb Raider series will hit stores the coming week on 17 February 2016. Dark Horse offers a preview of the first three pagers on their website.
Preview: Dark Horse

Merchandise:
PC gamers and console gamers that want to pimp up their work space have reasons to be happy. Razer offers new Rise of the Tomb Raider merchandise, a mouse and mousepad with a Rise design.
Source: RazerZone.com

20 Years of Tomb Raider Book

Celebrating Tomb Raider's 20th birthday, this hardcover book being released on 18 October 2016 will take you on a journey spanning the last 20 years of Tomb Raider history. It will highlight all aspects of the Tomb Raider universe; the games, the movies, the comics and more. Written by Meagan Marie, this compendium features interviews with the developers - both from Core Design and Crystal Dynamics, voice actors, composers, the live action models, comic artists and other insiders.

This hardcover book will be published by Prima Games (ISBN-10: 0744016908 or ISBN-13: 978-0744016901). Amazon.com lists it at a price of $25.

Quoted

With stunning visuals and in-depth commentary, 20 Years of Tomb Raider explores the ground-breaking, rich, and diverse history of this iconic gaming franchise. Including...

Weekly Recap (1 - May 2016)

Time for another weekly recap. I've been a little busy with specific news, preparations for the German Tomb Raider Meeting and a guide for the "Cold Darkness Awakened" downloadable content and thus have let this recap slide, but this week you will get another issue.

In case you are still struggling with the Achievements for the latest Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC "Cold Darkness Awakened", I recommend, you check out my guide at the Tomb Raider Girl Blog

Movies:
The biggest news of the week concern the production of the upcoming third Tomb Raider movie. Oscar and Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander has been cast as Lara Croft. The Swedish actress, who was born on 3 October 1988 is known for Ex Machina and The Danish Girl, among others. As a reminder: the movie will follow the storyline established in the reboot.

Comics:
Dark Horse has released the 3rd issue in the second Tomb Raider Series on 20 April 2016 and the next issue Tomb Raider II #4 is scheduled for a release on 18 May 2016.

Quoted

Fighting for survival in a raging river, Lara must abandon the team’s provisions. She is undersupplied and on the trail of the dangerous, immortality-seeking Knights of the Spore—and the looming darkness within the jungle descends!

Novels:
You may be wondering what happened to the release of "Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever". It has been pushed back once again and is now set for 26 July 2016.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider 20 Years of an Icon:
PAX East, the Penny Arcade Expo, a convention for video games in Boston (April 22-24, 2016), saw the panel "Lara Croft: The Undisputed Queen of Gaming". Panelists included original franchise composer Nathan McCree, Alexa Ray Corriea from Gamespot, and Meagan Marie, Jason Botta, and Kam Yu from Crystal Dynamics. During the panel a couple of "Lara Croft Tomb Raider 20 Years of an Icon" announcements have been made.

Nathan McCree, the composer for the classic games is returning to his roots with a new musical endeavour titled "The Tomb Raider Suite".

Quoted

The collection will include all classic compositions, as well as extensions and variations of original tracks from the first three Tomb Raider titles. The suite will then be recorded by a live orchestra at the famous Abbey Road Studios, and released for purchase on CD and digital download this autumn.

Written by Senior Community Manager Meagan Marie "20 Years of Tomb Raider", a premium hardcover tome, published by Prima Games will explore the history of the franchise with stunning visuals and in-depth commentary.

Also announced during the panel: "Tomb Raider: The Trilogy (1998)", a short video which was produced in 1998 by Silver Films for the Tomb Raider III launch party, that was never screened outside the event, has now been made public. You can find it on Tomb Raider's Youtube Channel

If you'd like to keep up with the festivities Crystal Dynamics has planned for this year marking the 20th anniversary of Tomb Raider, keep an eye on the official Tomb Raider Blog. If you'd like to watch the ""Lara Croft: The Undisputed Queen of Gaming", you should check out Twitch.

Community:
The community has been very busy during the last couple of weeks.
While a number of cosplayers gathered at PAX East , the German community is getting ready for the 17th annual 4 day gathering.

The German Tomb Raider Meeting, taking place from May 26th (Thursday) to May 29th (Sunday) in Bad Grund, in Germany, still has some empty beds to fill. So if you are living nearby and want to spend a fun weekend or gaming and talking with fellow raiders, feel free to sign up. The event costs 75 Euros (for food and lodging). Still have no idea what to expect? Let me point you towards a blog article I've written...

News Recap August 2016

Welcome to the August news recap. August is nearing its end and it is time to look back at what happened this month.

Games: Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration
As mentioned earlier, e.g. in our blog post Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration Preview from 10 August 2016, Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4 finally has a release date, 11 October 2016. This version of the game will come with all DLC available to date and more. A collection of classic outfits for Lara will be part of this bundle (Reimagined Antarctica Outfit, Classic Croft Manor Skin, Classic Tomb Raider II Skin, Classic Tomb Raider II Bomber Jacket, Classic Chronicles Catsuit, Classic Angel of Darkness). Endurance gets a new co-op mode where you and one friend can take on the Siberian Wilderness as a team to collect countless relics and endure as long as possible. Another addition will be the Croft Manor storyline "Blood Ties" in which Lara returns to the run-down mansion to solve a couple of riddles and thus fight her uncle who contest her ownership. In "Lara's Nightmare" Lara has to defend the Croft Manor against hordes of zombies.

Quoted

“Blood Ties” is premium DLC that celebrates Lara’s dual decade heritage, and will allow players to explore Croft Manor in the main story mode, then defend it against a zombie invasion in “Lara’s Nightmare”. When Lara’s uncle contests ownership of the Manor, Lara must explore the estate to find proof that she is the rightful heir, or lose her birthright and father’s secrets for good. Players can then test their zombie-killing skills in the replayable “Lara’s Nightmare” mode: a haunted Croft Manor where players have new challenges and must rid the Manor of an evil presence.

Movies: Tomb Raider
As you may have gathered from our previous news entries, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has been cast to play the role of Lara Croft, thus following Angelina Jolie who played the part in the first two movies. The movie is scheduled to hit US cinemas on 16 March 2018. The Norwegian Roar Uthaug, who is known for Cold Prey, The Wave and Escape will serve as director. Geneva Robertson-Dworet provides the script. The production companies for this project are GK Films and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Comics:
The first story arc of the second series of Tomb Raider Comics by Dark Horse has come to an end and the second has begun, with the release of Issue #7 on 24 August 2016. This story arc will return to the issue of Sam's mental health.

Quoted

After the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft’s life hasn’t gotten any easier! After defeating an army of zealots bent on finding the secrets of immortality, Lara now turns her attention back home. Sam Nishimura has been moved from prison to a mental hospital. But when Lara gets word that Sam has escaped, she drops everything to help her friend and confront the evils she faced on Yamatai once and for all.

As part of the 20 year celebration the original comics that were published by Top Cow from 1999 to 2005 will be re-released as the four-part "Tomb Raider Archives", giving younger Raiders the opportunity to catch up. Vol. 1, which will be released on 30 November 2016, will be spanning the issues #1-15. The following issues will be released in 2017. Vol. 2 encompasses issues #16-24 and #26-34; Vol. 3 will cover issues #35-50, #0, and #½ and finally Vol. 4 will include the 12-part series Journeys and other one-shot issues.

20th Anniversary Celebration: "20 Years of Tomb Raider" Book
The cover of "20 Years of Tomb Raider" was unveiled at E3 2016. The book, which was written by Meagan Marie, will release on 18th 25th October 2016 and feature a lot of insights into the Tomb Raider universe.

20th Anniversary Celebration: Scavenger Hunt (US and Canada only)
Raiders living in the United States and Canada can take part in an online scavenger hunt (on a desktop, tablet or other mobile device) to unlock RotTR in-game DLC or win an ATV, a Go Pro or an Arctic adventure. Visit: http://www.trscavengerhunt.com/

20th Anniversary Celebration: Digging Up the Past
If you have missed it till now, the team at Crystal Dynamics has put up a couple of classic Tomb Raider fankits on Flickr. Nostalgia.

News Recap

Welcome to the October news recap. Please note that each of these new bits was tweeted or retweeted by me when they became relevant. This recap is a service I provide for those who do not follow the day-to-day announcements in the Tomb Raider realm, so hopefully you don't miss anything. For those who are up-to-date most in this article will be old news.

Games: Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration
Earlier this month "Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration" and with it the PS4 version of the game finally hit stores. Physical copies of the game are available for PS4 and PC, while Xbox One owners can purchase the digital version of this edition. Further, owners of the Season Pass for Xbox One or PC now get access to all new content that became available with the 20 Year Celebration, including the new Croft Manor DLCs "Blood Ties" and "Lara's Nightmare", the Endurance Co-Op mode, the new difficulty setting "Extreme Survivor", the classic outfits ("Classic Tomb Raider II", "Classic Angel of Darkness", "Classic Tomb Raider II Bomber Jacket", "Classic Croft Manor", "Classic Chronicles Catsuit" and "Reimagined Antarctica Outfit") that can be used in the Expedition modes or after completing the game in free-roam, as well as most of the outfits and weapons previously released as pre-order boni, with the exception being the two weapons ("Rattlesnake" and "Snowflake").

Comics:
The second series of Tomb Raider Comics by Dark Horse is in full stride. Issue #9 recently came out on 19 October and Trade Paperback #1 (Issues#1 to #6) hit stores on 26 October 2016. More issues of the series are scheduled, and a re-issue of the classic comics by Top Cow is also planned with the first Volume coming 30 November 2016.

Quoted

TOMB RAIDER ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 HC
There’s only one woman capable of tracking down the world’s rarest artifacts: Lara Croft. Armed with her iconic twin pistols, and aided by roguish playboy Chase Carver and her buttoned-up assistant Madeline Hovan, Lara crisscrosses the globe in search of adventure. Join Lara as she fights against a shadowy organization intent on her destruction, faces the ultimate betrayal, and uncovers legendary treasures.

This deluxe hardcover collects issues #1–#15 of the 1999 Top Cow Tomb Raider series and features the art of superstar artists Michael Turner, Marc Silvestri, David Finch, Andy Part and many more, all in an oversized format.

20 Years of Tomb Raider: Digging up the Past, Defining the Future (Book)
Another item that has been released this month, on the 25th, is the compendium "20 Years of Tomb Raider: Digging up the Past, Defining the Future", written by Meagan Marie. In it the Tomb Raider Community Manager takes us on a journey through the Tomb Raider Universe, beginning with how the very first game came to be, how it developed over time and how other aspects of the franchise, be it comics, movies or fan activities emerged.

Guinness World Record Success
In other news, on 29 October a large group from the Tomb Raider Community attempted a Guinness World Record for the most Lara Croft Cosplayers during Paris Games Week. The record was set with 270 participants. Tomb Raider on Twitter

Lara Croft is Entered into the Golden Joystick Hall of Fame

Quoted

Lara Croft, one of the most iconic and recognizable characters in gaming and film, is to be bestowed the honor of being entered into the Golden Joystick Awards Hall Of Fame. An honor reserved only for the true behemoths in the world of gaming, the Golden Joystick Hall of Fame is only open to those games and characters that have changed the face of gaming and become an absolute global phenomena. It is hard to argue that there is any one character who has done this more than Lara Croft.

Rise of the Tomb Raider Survival Training
Lucky Raiders living in California, watch out. In November you'll get the unique chance to participate in a special Tomb Raider Survival Training with members from the Tomb Raider team. Hurry up, there are only limited spots available. The Event is held in cooperation with Adventure Out.

Those living in the UK get the unique opportunity to get their hands on a rare collectors item limited to 400 pieces, a Customized Stamp Sheet. Each sheet is individually numbered, and comes in a 20 Year Celebration protective folder. These will cost £19.96 per sheet and can be pre-ordered exclusive from the UK Square Enix Store. They will become available 25 November 2016.
Source: Tomb Raider on Tumblr

Tomb Raider - Live in Concert

Another one for our UK (or Europe) Raiders: On 18 December 2016 "Tomb Raider - Live in Concert" will make its world premiere in London. To honour Lara's classic adventure
Composer Nathan McCree’s "The Tomb Raider Suite" (a 70-minute concert suite with full orchestra and chorus) will be performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo.
"A giant screen above the orchestra will tell the story of Tomb Raider through in-game footage, images, and interviews, revisiting some of Lara Croft’s greatest adventures."

Site News January 2018

One of my New Years resolutions is keeping you guys updated on what is currently going on with the site. For the last couple of weeks I have been working on writing and revising the Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris walkthrough and penning down all story dialogue I come across while playing the game. When I'm finished with that I will probably take a break from the game and return to Rise of the Tomb Raider and do a final revision in which other content like Baba Yaga and Croft Manor will find their rightful place within a flowing construct, e.g. don't play Baba Yaga too late or hunting down deer might be more difficult, and don't forget to visit Croft Manor after finishing the game for some extra relics.